TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-Locomotive Soft Actuator Based on Asymmetric Microstructural Ti3C2TxMXene Film Driven by Natural Sunlight Fluctuation
AU - Hu, Ying
AU - Yang, Lulu
AU - Yan, Qiuyang
AU - Ji, Qixiao
AU - Chang, Longfei
AU - Zhang, Chenchu
AU - Yan, Jian
AU - Wang, Ranran
AU - Zhang, Lei
AU - Wu, Guan
AU - Sun, Jing
AU - Zi, Bin
AU - Chen, Wei
AU - Wu, Yucheng
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge that this work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11674354), the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2008085J22), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (Grant PA2020GDSK0086), Austrian-Chinese Cooperative R&D projects (GJHZ2046), and Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (Y201841).
Publisher Copyright:
©
PY - 2021/3/23
Y1 - 2021/3/23
N2 - Soft actuators and microrobots that can move spontaneously and continuously without artificial energy supply and intervention have great potential in industrial, environmental, and military applications, but still remain a challenge. Here, a bioinspired MXene-based bimorph actuator with an asymmetric layered microstructure is reported, which can harness natural sunlight to achieve directional self-locomotion. We fabricate a freestanding MXene film with an increased and asymmetric layered microstructure through the graft of coupling agents into the MXene nanosheets. Owing to the excellent photothermal effect of MXene nanosheets, increased interlayer spacing favoring intercalation/deintercalation of water molecules and its caused reversible volume change, and the asymmetric microstructure, this film exhibits light-driven deformation with a macroscopic and fast response. Based on it, a soft bimorph actuator with ultrahigh response to solar energy is fabricated, showing natural sunlight-driven actuation with ultralarge amplitude and fast response (346° in 1 s). By utilizing continuous bending deformation of the bimorph actuator in response to the change of natural sunlight intensity and biomimetic design of an inchworm to rectify the repeated bending deformation, an inchwormlike soft robot is constructed, achieving directional self-locomotion without any artificial energy and control. Moreover, soft arms for lifting objects driven by natural sunlight and wearable smart ornaments that are combined with clothing and produce three-dimensional deformation under natural sunlight are also developed. These results provide a strategy for developing natural sunlight-driven soft actuators and reveal great application prospects of this photoactuator in sunlight-driven soft biomimetic robots, intelligent solar-energy-driven devices in space, and wearable clothing.
AB - Soft actuators and microrobots that can move spontaneously and continuously without artificial energy supply and intervention have great potential in industrial, environmental, and military applications, but still remain a challenge. Here, a bioinspired MXene-based bimorph actuator with an asymmetric layered microstructure is reported, which can harness natural sunlight to achieve directional self-locomotion. We fabricate a freestanding MXene film with an increased and asymmetric layered microstructure through the graft of coupling agents into the MXene nanosheets. Owing to the excellent photothermal effect of MXene nanosheets, increased interlayer spacing favoring intercalation/deintercalation of water molecules and its caused reversible volume change, and the asymmetric microstructure, this film exhibits light-driven deformation with a macroscopic and fast response. Based on it, a soft bimorph actuator with ultrahigh response to solar energy is fabricated, showing natural sunlight-driven actuation with ultralarge amplitude and fast response (346° in 1 s). By utilizing continuous bending deformation of the bimorph actuator in response to the change of natural sunlight intensity and biomimetic design of an inchworm to rectify the repeated bending deformation, an inchwormlike soft robot is constructed, achieving directional self-locomotion without any artificial energy and control. Moreover, soft arms for lifting objects driven by natural sunlight and wearable smart ornaments that are combined with clothing and produce three-dimensional deformation under natural sunlight are also developed. These results provide a strategy for developing natural sunlight-driven soft actuators and reveal great application prospects of this photoactuator in sunlight-driven soft biomimetic robots, intelligent solar-energy-driven devices in space, and wearable clothing.
KW - photoactuator
KW - self-locomotion
KW - soft actuator
KW - soft robot
KW - sunlight-driven actuation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103424360&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsnano.0c10797
DO - 10.1021/acsnano.0c10797
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33650851
AN - SCOPUS:85103424360
SN - 1936-0851
VL - 15
SP - 5294
EP - 5306
JO - ACS Nano
JF - ACS Nano
IS - 3
ER -